Firefish’s 14g Bow Front - Trying an acro!

[Firefish15]

Hey all! About time for some updates!

Tank is looking pretty happy right now. Not many fish, just the one chromis. 
I did take advantage of a sale at my LFS today and got a few more corals. A nice orange yuma, a colt leather, and a red Montipora digitata frag. For livestock, I also picked up a tiny ORA tuxedo urchin. 
 

New FTS

 

New critters. 🙂

 

Parameters are decent. 
Alk 10

Calcium 430

NO3 ~2

PO4 ~0.02

Sg 1.025

 

Still maybe a little clean, but having a hard time raising nutrients without dealing with hair algae outbreaks.

[Tony Bologna]

Wow. Your corals look great. Nice job transitioning to the new tank. Thanks for the update.

[Firefish15]

2 hours ago, Tony Bologna said:

Nice job transitioning to the new tank.

Thanks Tony! 
Yeah, it’s starting to feel settled in. Coralline is encrusting the back pretty heavily now, so looks less fresh and brand new.

[Firefish15]

Well, it’s about time that I got serious about putting fish through a quarantine/observation period before just throwing them in my display. I’ve been burned far too many times to have an excuse anymore. I don’t think that I will have medication constantly running in the tank, but it’s going to set up to where if I need to, I can do that. I have Seachem Metroplex and Focus so far, will also look into getting some Cupramine and a copper test kit. 

 

Picked up a basic 10g and glass lid from Petco. Yesterday I just sprayed a black background on the back, one whole side, and a part of the other side. 
For equipment I have an air driven sponge filter, a heater, an ammonia badge, a gravity fed ATO, and a basic light. For biological filtration, I’m having the sponge for the filter sitting in the HOB of the display.
For decoration I bought a little plastic rock tower with some fake corals. Should provide some decent cover while also being able to be sterilized between temporary inhabitants.

 

I’m looking forward to getting it wet and running, so that I can start introducing fish to my display again. Currently just the one B/G chromis. I think the next one will have to be another red fire fish, since I lost Moto Moto not too long ago.

 

[Firefish15]

The tank is actually looking pretty good right now, which I definitely appreciate. It’s been a few weeks since last water change, but there aren’t any excessive amounts of hair algae or cyano. 
I’ll thank the bolstered CUC for maintaining the hair algae at low levels. I’ve been more aggressive at removing it whenever I do water changes though. 
My calcium and alkalinity have also been a lot more stable since I cleared out that big monti cap up top. I never realized how much it was actually sucking up elements like that. I haven’t dosed in a week, and I’m still sitting at 430 for calcium and 9.5 for alkalinity. Previously, I’d be testing twice a week and having to dose alk or both. 
 

 

[Firefish15]

The observation tank is wet! Currently mixing saltwater inside of it. Once I’m thoroughly mixed and mellowed out, I’ll start to consider going to the LFS and looking around. 
Next inhabitant will be a small fire fish. 

 

For the sponge filter, should I move the sponge over right before I add a fish, so that the biological filtration will have a constant nutrient source in the display, and then just a quick trip to the observation tank?

[Firefish15]

Well, I have my first occupants of the observation tank! I got two red fire fish from a  LFS that I don’t normally get to because it’s too far south. Fortunately, I was doing a delivery for work and my boss didn’t mind me making a slight detour. 

They look extremely healthy and beautiful.
 

That LFS runs copper in their fish system, so I’m not too concerned about external parasites. I’ll just house them for a month or so and see how they do. 
I am aware that red firefish can get territorial with each other, so I’m willing to rehome one if they don’t play nice. They were half the price than at my regular fish store though, so thought I’d give it a shot. 

[quiddmobile]

they look super cute together! i hope they continue to get along and its good that you have the glass lid 😁they are so jumpy

[Firefish15]

Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be working out between the firefish. The larger one chases the smaller one and has put a split in the dorsal fin. Smaller one hides in the decoration except for food, big one is out cruising. 
I have another local reefer who wants it, so it’ll get a new home in a 180g with a couple other fire fish. Getting picked up this afternoon. 
 

@quiddmobile I hate losing fish to jumping. Just the worst feeling to have a good, healthy fish end up crispy on the carpet. Probably my least favorite way to lose a fish.

[Firefish15]

Well, I’m glad that I’m finally putting things through observation.

Today I noticed that the remaining fire fish was listing and had a cloudy left eye. Looked closer and it looked like there was a clear

flap hanging off his eye. 
After some research, it sounded like it was possibly flukes. I did a 5 minute freshwater bath, and a couple of them turned opaque and popped off him. 

Here’s a photo, you can see one on the upper surface of the fish. 

 

Also one on his eye.

 

Going to pick up some Prazipro tomorrow, but hopefully that gets him some relief

for now.

[Snow_Phoenix]

22 minutes ago, Firefish15 said:

Well, I’m glad that I’m finally putting things through observation.

Today I noticed that the remaining fire fish was listing and had a cloudy left eye. Looked closer and it looked like there was a clear

flap hanging off his eye. 
After some research, it sounded like it was possibly flukes. I did a 5 minute freshwater bath, and a couple of them turned opaque and popped off him. 

Here’s a photo, you can see one on the upper surface of the fish. 

 

Also one on his eye.

 

Going to pick up some Prazipro tomorrow, but hopefully that gets him some relief

for now.

Your fish is very beautiful - and I do agree that looks like a fluke. Can he stay upright at all? 

[Firefish15]

3 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Can he stay upright at all?

Yeah, he will swim and correct his trim, and then over a few seconds slowly tip over. It didn’t seem frantic, more lethargic. I’ll see how he’s doing this morning.

 

But yeah, as far as coloration and finnage goes, he’s the best looking red firefish I’ve seen in person. Really prominent purple freckling, and a dorsal fin that almost touches his tail.
 

[Firefish15]

The red firefish (now dubbed Skittles by the wife) is still hanging in there. He still has a good appetite, has been munching small quantities of Omega One marine flakes and LRS Reef Frenzy Nano. 



I did a small water change yesterday, scrubbing the glass bottom and siphoning detritus. 

I just did the recommended dose of Prazipro to treat remaining flukes. He seems to be “coughing” intermittently, opening his mouth and moving his gills. I hope that is a sign that the flukes in his gills are spasming and dying. 

 

I have a Seachem Ammonia badge that says I’m safe, but I’ll keep monitoring with my API liquid test. 

[Firefish15]

Skittles is still doing well. I’ve had him in quarantine for two weeks tomorrow, and he seems to be swimming normally again. He’s a little shy, doesn’t stray too far from the fake coral rock and dives in when there’s movement. I’m hopeful that he’ll adjust though, and that the chromis in the display acts as a dither fish.
It’s been one week since I added the first dose of Prazipro to the quarantine tank, so I did a 25% water change today. Things seem to be holding steady. I’ve been dosing liberally with Microbacter7 to keep the bio filter building up. 

After a week of no medication, I think I’ll do a second dose of Prazipro, just to be sure. It’s supposed to be pretty gentle on the fish themselves. Overall, if things go well, Skittles will probably be in the observation tank for 5 weeks or so. That’ll put him in the display around mid-April.

[Firefish15]

Tested water parameters yesterday, pretty consistent. 
NO3 and PO4 were again very difficult to detect with the API tests. However, I’m getting better at using corals as the barometer, rather than stressing over numbers as much. Right now, there is a little green hair algae growth, but the CUC is having no issues maintaining it at low levels. The pulsing xenia also looks full and active, previous times they’ve looked shriveled and sunken. 
 

Ca and kH were pretty good, 400 and 9.5 respectively. Just dosed a little Ca to balance it out some. 

Did a smallish water change this evening, more focused on glass cleaning and sand bed siphoning than removing water. Probably around 2.5 gallons.

Corals are mostly looking pretty happy, but there was some decent cyano on the sand bed again. Looking better now, but I can see it popping up again already.

 

 

[Firefish15]

Today I stopped by a local coral farmer’s house to see her setup and what she had for sale. It was an amazing display, huge colonies of soft corals, LPS, and SPS. Then her frag system, a custom built two-tier acrylic tank that was like 9” long, was jam packed with healthy and beautiful frags. Favorites were the different varieties of pipe organ and gonioporas. 
I went there for a specific coral though, she has a big mother colony of Japanese pink nepthea that I was really interested in. I bought a small frag, hopefully it’ll be opened and happy soon. I did a Seachem Reef Dip treatment on it, so it’s a little grumpy at the moment. It’s sitting up top and center of my arch rock piece.

[Tony Bologna]

Your tank looks great. I can't wait to see that pink nepthea. I like that coral in theory but have no experience with it. 

[Firefish15]

10 hours ago, Tony Bologna said:

I like that coral in theory but have no experience with it.

I’ve done some reading , but this is my first time caring for it. The mother colony was up top in a high light, pretty good flow area. The color isn’t great under blues, there’s not really any fluorescence. Under more daylight though, it’s a nice pink color.

[Firefish15]

On Saturday I went to visit another coral farmer with a reefing buddy. This woman has a 1-car garage that is just packed with all manner of personally aquacultured corals. 
 

I mainly went to look, but I succumbed to temptation and got my first acro to try, a healthy looking Garf Bonsai for me to try up top. 
 

 

The firefish is still in quarantine, but isn’t looking great. Not much of an appetite, haven’t seen him eat in a while. Hopefully he perks up in the display today. He’s quite skinny right now.

[Firefish15]

I tried introducing the firefish to the display yesterday, but he was way too weak. He was getting blown around like a leaf in the breeze. Transferred him back to QT. 
The firefish is deteriorating. Still hasn’t eaten, now has fin rot as well. Doing a medicated bath with ciprofloxacin to try and counter that. Humblefish has been helpful, been answering my PMs. 
It has been pretty stressful trying to get him to good health. 

[Firefish15]

Well, the firefish died on Friday. Been cleaning the tank out to start cycling it and start over with another fish. 
 

On the plus side, everything in the display seems to be doing quite well. I was feeding the candy cane yesterday, and took the opportunity to take a few top down shots.

The new acro, a Garf Bonsai, has been retaining its color and extending its polyps. Seems to be doing well. I hope it encrusts onto the rock before too long, don’t want to have to place it again.

 

The blue digi frag I got recently is definitely growing and coloring up. 

 

Candy cane is about to split into four heads, some of them still pretty chunky. 

 

Zoas still hanging on, but not looking fantastic. They seem to be either growing slowly or in a stasis, depending on which ones.

 

Top down FTS

 

[Firefish15]

Hey all! Been almost three weeks since I added the acro frag, and it looks like it’s starting to encrust some! 
The coloring is looking good too. Polyps are

out most of the time as well. 

I started manually dosing Red Sea Reef Energy AB+ about two weeks ago. A buddy of mine gave me a little sample bottle from his stash for me to try out. So far, no increase in algae or cyano, and I do think my SPS have colored up some. My digi was mostly brown, and now it’s mostly blue.

[debbeach13]

Sorry about the fish:( 

The corals are looking better and better. 

On 4/12/2022 at 11:49 AM, Firefish15 said:

This woman has a 1-car garage that is just packed with all manner of personally aquacultured corals. 

Diver Dan says, "This sounds like finding treasure".

[Tony Bologna]

Sorry about your fish. You tank looks great.